Dark Deals, Part One.
Tyrants Issue 18 "Dark Deals" (Part One.) Front cover- out of billowing smokey shadow walks a man dressed in long dark robes, completely bald, with hideously pale, almost ivory sky, and black, shadowy eyes, his fingertips glowing with dark energy. Narration- "Years ago." The issue opens with Rook, unmasked, in his penthouse, sat behind his desk. A woman is seen by the reader from behind, wearing a short black skirt and high heels, sacheting her way in. The blonde woman has her hair tied up with pins at the back, and has thick rimmed glasses. Her face's prettiness is marred by the pursed, small lips and the serious expression. She wears a tightly buttoned white plouse under a black business jacket which hangs loose. She approaches Rook with a pile of folders in her hands. She puts them down on the table, hard. "There. All the files I could locate involving all recorded superhuman activities since 1908 and 1995. Very specific time period to want to know about, Mister Rook." Rook stares ahead, as he has a flashback of an energy explosion, blue energy surrounding him and tearing him apart, and then a flashback of him rebuilding him self from ash. He then looks to the woman and simply says "Thank you, Ms Morgan." He watches silently as she leaves. When she has gone, he picks up a folder and says "Well, Kaan'Qsst, I have found superhuman resources that already exist to be useful things before, when manipulated, so lets see what I can find." He opens up a folder, which has newspaper clippings of the original 1960s Team Titan within it. "Let see if I can find the salvation for Earth in these pages." There are a few panels of him looking at different papers, getting gradually more bored, and then in the following panel the comic shows him looking at a newspaper clipping with the following headline; "GONE FOR A DAY; THE EXTROADINARY STORY OF THE DISAPPEARANCE OF TITAN'S CITY'S POPULACE." The headline is part of the TITAN TIMES, and is dated 1966. In the next panel, Rook leans back, reading the documents, the words not visibile to the reader, as he readers them out. "After what Team Titan and the Mega Heroes defeated an attack by what they supposedly claim to be the 'Children of Poseidon' is defeated, with the apparent sacrifice of our city's greatest hero, Prometheys, all of Titan City's citizens return, including this intrepid reporter. I have spoken to a vast number of people, and they all reveal the same story; living our ordinary lives, and then a flash and we all finds ourselves under a different sky, along a beach, with a sea, but not our sun." "Hmmm... I believe I found my answer" Rook muses to himself. "But I doubt a loyalist to Zeus is likely to reveal to me how he attempted such a feat. But, from what I know of gods, they commonly have their own agendas." In the next few panels he goes to one of his own cupboards and takes out another massive folder. He finds a modern newspaper clipping of the Titan Times. "GSPD's international response team halt hostilities between New Olympian and Greek government- riots said to be instigated by rebel Olympians, at the behest of Hades." Rook drops the piece of paper. "Hades. Wonderful. As if I haven't dealt enough with death..." The comic cuts to show Rook sat in a windowless chamber, sat within an arcane circle chalked upon the floor, surrounded by candles. All of the candle flames wink out, as the smoke pours together into a swirling cloud above Rook. The cloud clears away, to show the face of Hades (shown on the comic cover.) "Ah, Mister... Rook, isn't it?" "You know me." "You aren't surprised. You did make a deal with death afterall. Not me, of course, but, I would know about a man who defies death, so. And to contact -me.- Very brave." "What have I to lose Hades. Not even you can kill me." "Would you like me to test your assumption, Mister Rook?" "I have tried long enough to end my existance, in recent years, Hades. No attempts have succeeded. But now I have found purpose to live a little longer." "And yet you contact me." "I only ask for information, information I am your brothers would not want me to know." "Ah, the oppurtunity to spite my brothers." Hades smiles a cruel smile. "You have done your research Mister Rook. I am listening." "A long time ago, by mortal reckoning at least, Poseidon sent his children to kill Prometheus. Or bring him to Olympus I assume, as he came to Earth with you and the other Olympians recently." "Ah yes, I remember it well. Zeus had been seeking Prometheus for so long... he couldn't just ''kill ''him. And if it was just death he wanted, he could have sent me, not that bumbling Poseidon's children." "The nature of that does not concern me." "Yes, you are not concerned with death. I have heard." Hades mouth closes, but he still smiles, though less of a grin, and something a little more subtly sinister. "What ''does ''concern the Man Who Cannot Die, and concern him enough, that he would contact an agent of the very thing he defies? It must be ''quite ''the concern." "I wish to know the means of how he transported the people of Titan City safely away from the conflict." "I know, he did, didn't he? Terribly ''boring. ''You can tell this wasn't ''my ''mission." Rook stands up to address Hades' image face to face. "Do you know how I did it?" "Such information comes with a cost. What can the Man Who Cannot Die give the God of Death, when it is clear that he no longer wishes to die?" "What if I did want to die. Once I had undone my centuries of sin. What if I wanted to die after my final service to this planet? Could you grant me that boon?" "I would not know until I tried." "Then when my work is done, I give you my leave to try." Hades looks angry. "And what if your curse defies my power? You would have a free gift from me. You must give me a gift now, if I am to give you mine." Rook kneels again, but keeps his gaze locked with Hades. "Then about how information for information?" "If you information is satisfactory, I will give you the information you seek." "Very well. Not long ago, a group of super-criminals in Italy sought a being with volcanic powers of destruction. They were going to use him to help them steal the Spear of Longinus." He raises an eyebrow. "I trust the God of Fear knows of the Spear's power." Hades shows his teeth as he grins. "The Spear that can supposedly kill the blood of gods." "Indeed. Most people know the Legend, but I know the location of the true Spear myself. I am a Catholic, and have contacts in the Vatigan, and I know of the Vault where they secretly have the Spear, and other such relics, stored. I also know that survivors of this group of criminals, after the one they sought turned on them, are planning another attack. I know because, as a resident of Italy at this time, and due to my past and connections, they contacted me to aid them. I will therefore know when they attack the Vault." "So that I can take the Spear myself." "Yes. A fitting weapon for the God of Death, wouldn't you agree?" "Oh yes, yes. Very well. You are fortunate Mister Rook, that the device you seek, along with many important Olympian artifacts, was gathered when my brothers and their kin fled the destruction of Planet Olympus." "A teleportation device? And it is kept at New Olympus." "Yes to both, Mister Rook. It would be a difficult enterprise to steal it, however. I have ways of taking the Spear, however, if you give me its location. As for the machine... I have no interest in taking a device used to ''save ''lives." "Which is why I trade the information for a weapon that can kill even gods." Hades images enlarges before Rook. "And perhaps even you, in my hands." "Alas, you decided to have information. Are deal is conceded Hades. I will contact you again when the strike for the spear begins." He waves his hand. The image of Hades disappears, and smoke is sucked back into the candles. The flames light again. Rook rises. "As for my own theft, I will need my own team to take it. And something to distract the heroes whilst we do so." He holds a hand to his chin. "Something of immense power." Narration- "The Present Day." The comic cuts to a full page spread, as Rook stands at the foot of Mount Vesuvius, his back to the reader. He has a new mask, now this time white, over his head. "According to the information Inquisitor extracted from Horde, the Planet Titan's former Witch Doctor bound Vesuvius into the volcano, calling the Spirit of the Mountain to bind him. I will need to call it myself through a mystic ritual, in order to bid it to release him." The comic shows his team, now including Skyscraper, behind him. Viral raises his hand. "An' what if he doesn't wanna release the weapon of mass destruction, which I am guessing is gonna be his choice?" "Then we must destroy the Spirit's corporeal form, which will therefore stop its will trapping Vesuvius." "Another fight. Good" says Grapplor. "And what about the local heroes, and the fact we're gonna be doin' a big, supposedly magic ritual at the bottom of popular tourist spot?" "Well, if Viral, Grapplor and Holdem weren't exaggerting then..." Rook looks at his watch "They have literally just finished hospitalising Team Titan Italy." "What?" says Lava Flow. "Time travel" says Texas with a grin. "Which leaves only really police to deal with us. I trust you can handle police, Lava Flow?" "Depends how you feel on me melting them, chief. I'm told you aren't into that... most of the time." "If you could melt their car doors do they cannot leave, and their weapons, that would be preferred. Otherwise, I think, due to your current and prior form, you may be well disposed against the mountain, and I can leave the police to others." "Thats fine. I do this cos people tend to have legal issues about how I do science, not to fry police." "Though you may need to destroy the Spirit's corporeal form, as I said, but I doubt that would actually kill it." Lava Flow grins. "Fine with me. Need to test out these new powers some more." "Planet Titan. What about them?" Bushfire asks. Kestrel summons his wings, and sets them ablaze. "We got them outnumbered." "You say that. Their 'heroic' leader will just teleport your wings off." "After their display against you in Australia, my intelligence informs me that their team is currently grounded. They shouldn't be a problem. And if they become one..." Rook looks up at the volcano. "Thats where Vesuvius comes in." "You do know you cannot control him? I have already survived one attempt of him nearly trying to kill me and the group I was with at the time" says Inquisitor, hand hovering over his sword hilt. "I don't plan to control him." The comic zooms in to show his new white mask, as before, except the rook is now black instead of white. "I plan to release him." End of issue.